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No. 6l6,884. Patented Jan. 3, I899.

J. BRANSON. WIRE AND SLAT FABRIC MAKING MACHINE.

(Application and ism. a1, 1398.

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No. 6|6,884. Patented Jan. 3,, I899. J. BRANSON.

W IRE AND SLAT FABRIC MAKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Mar. 31, 1698.)

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(No Model.)

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F NrTnD STATES PATENT Enron.

JOSEPH BRANSON, OF APPLETON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF TVVO-THIRDS TO GEORGE MCNAMEE AND J. AUSTIN HAWES, OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE-AND-SLAT-FABRlC-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 616,884, dated January 3, 1899.

Application filed March 31, 1898- Eserial No. 675,838- (No model.)

To aZl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH BRANSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-and-Slat-Fabric-\Veaving Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to .be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The invention relates to machines for weaving or binding together edgewise wooden slats, and thereby forming a slat fabric that now has several recognized uses in the mechanic arts.

It consists in the construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter described,and shown in the accompanying drawings; and its particular object is to provide a superior machine for making this fabric and at the same time one that is economical in point of manufacture and simple and durable in construction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of the entire machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear end view, someof the parts being omitted for clearness of illustration. Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the cam-for operating the needle-shaft, and Fig. 5 is a view of the same cam in plan.

The operative parts of the machine are mounted upon any suitable frame, the form shown herein consisting of top bars a a and I), set up in rectangular form and supported upon corner posts or legs 0 c, said frame being further provided with cross-bars d d and longitudinal sills e for supporting the shafting and other parts.

A indicates a table or platform at one end of this frame, upon which the slats to be woven together are held side by side, over and upon which the completed fabric passes.

13 B denote presser-feet, which are formed of bars of spring metal, secured at their rear ends to cross-bars of the machine-frame and resting at their forward ends upon the slats, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The bars of which these pressure-feet are formed are preferably arched, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to provide clearance underneath them for the operation of the needle which carries the binding-wire and the slat-forwarding devices.

The presser-feet are adjustable as to their tension on the slats by means of set-screws 1 in their rear ends, and the presser-feet are adjustable laterally of the machine, so as to accommodate different lengths of slats by means of bolts and screws (1.

The letters ff denote vertical supports at the sides of the machine-frame, in the lower ends of which are pivoted upwardly-extending arms g g, which arms have adjustably secured to them by means of suitable bolts and nuts 3 3 other arms h, which project upwardly above the plane in which the slats move and act as slat forwarders in a manner to be presently described. Extending rearwardly from the arms 9 g are adjustable pitmen 2' i, which are forked at their rear ends, as shown only in Fig. 2, and straddle the main shaft 0 of the machine, which thus supports them. These pitmen carry friction-rollers 4 near their rear ends, and these rollers are acted on by the eccentric cams jj on the main shaft 0 of the machine, so that the arms g g and the slat-forwarders h h are oscillated as the shaft 0 rotates. At either side of the machine there are springs 7c is, connected at one end to the frame of the machine and at the other end to the arms g g, the object of this construction being to hold the friction-rollers on the pitmen against the faces of the cams j.

D denotes a shaft to which are secured needles E E, which carry tie-wires 5 5 for weaving the slats together. The needles are preferably shaped as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings; but such shape will probably be necessary only when the needle-shaft is located with respect to the other parts of the machine as shown in Fig. 2. Projecting rearas above stated, by O, and this shaft is driven from any suitable source of power by means of gearing 8 and 9 and the belt-pulley 10.

The cams j j which operate the slat-forwarders are located near the ends of the shaft at the side of the machine-frame, and their only function is to reciprocate the pitmen 11 Z and operate the bars 9 g. The cam which operates the needle-shaft is located, preferably, about centrally of the shaft and has two functions, one of which is to raise and lower the needles and the other of which is to throw the needles from side to side when they reach the limits of their upper and lower movements. The rising and falling movements of the needles are due to the eccentricity of the cam D, which has been shown in Fig. 4c, and the lateral movements of the needles are caused by the stud or roller 7 on the under side of the arm Z passing alternately over the tracks 0 and p on the periphery of the portion of the cam of greatest eccentricity. F denotes a switch which is pivoted upon the edge of the cam D, near the rear end of the tracks 0 and p and midway between them. The purpose of this switch is to throw the stud 7 on the arm Zfrom one side to the other as the cam D rotates, and this is accomplished by the stud or roller coming in contact with the widened rear end of the switch as it passes over each track, which movement throws the switch into a position to guide the stud or roller onto the opposite track at the next revolution of the cam.

The stud 7 is mounted upon a small yoke 12, secured to the arm Zby means of set-screws 13 18, passing through the upturned ends of the yoke and abutting against opposite sides of the arm Z, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and By tightening up one of the screws 13 and correspondingly loosening the other the position of the stud 7 laterally with relation to the arm Z may be adjusted, the object of this arrangement being to alter the extent of lateral movement given to the needles E E by the switch F of the cam D.

The construction and general arrangement of parts being as above described, the operation of the machine is as follows: The operator stands at the side of the machine, near the platform A, and passes the slats in onto the table end foremost. In beginning the operation there are secured to the first slat two strand or stay wires E, which are led through guides 11 from spools or rollers located upon or situated at the rear of the machine, which, however, are not illustrated in the drawings. The tie-wires 5 5 are passed through the needles, which are hollow, and their front ends being secured to the stay-wires, as indicated in Fig. 2, the machine is ready for operation. As the operator feeds the slats in one by one, laying them across the strand wires, the slat-forwarders come up and push each slat up against the one previously put in place. At the time these forwarders operate the needles stand in the position illustratcd in Fig. 2, and the operator passes the slats under the front ends of the needles and between them and the stay-wires. After the slat-forwarders have pushed each slat under the presser-feet the needles are then immediately depressed to a point below the plane occupied by the slat. The pushing of the slat beyond the point of the needles has the effect of passing the tie-wire across the width of the slat, and the lowering of the needles bends it down 011 the rear edge of the same to a point below the strand-wirc. lVhen the needles reach this position, they are immediately given a slight lateral movement, which causes them to bend the tie-wires around and under the strand-wires. The needles then rise on the other side of .the stay-wire into the position shown in Fig. 2,when the above-described operation is repeated.

The machine is entirely automatic in action, and the slats, being fed in in the manner described, are woven together in a single continuous fabric, as shown in Fig. 1, by a constant repetition of the movements already explained.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In a slat-weaving machine, the combination of an oscillating slat-forwarder, a bind ing-wire needle, and mechanism for giving the latter an up-and-down reciprocation and a lateral movement at the end of its downward throw.

2. In a slat-weavin g machine, the combination of an oscillating slat-forwarder, a presserfoot for holding the slats, a needle carrying a binding-wire for binding the slats to a staywire running crosswise the slats, and mechanism for giving the needle an up-and-down movement to pass the tie-wire above and below the slats and a lateral movement at the end of its downward throw to pass said wire on opposite sides of the stay-wire.

3. In a slat-weaving machine, the combination of the shaft 0, the needle-shaft D, the arm Z extending from the latter, and the cam D on the shaft (3, said cam having the switch F for throwing the arm Zin opposite directions.

4. In a slat-weaving machine, the combination of the shaft G, the cams j on the shaft, the pitmen z, the oscillating slat-forwarders h to which the pitmen are connected, the needle-shaft D, the needles E, the arm Z from the needle-shaft D, and the cam D on the shaft 0 for moving the needles vertically and horizontally.

5. In a slat-weavin g machine, the combination of the shaft 0, the cams j, and the pitmen Z, the oscillating slat-forwarders h, the presser-feet B, the needle-shaft D, the hollow needles E, the arm Z extending from the needle-shaft D, and the springs and m for holding the pitmen and arm Z in operative relation to their cams, the cam D having the trackway 0,1), and the switch F for throwing the needle sidewise.

6. In a slat-weavin g machine, the combina tion of mechanism for intermittently forwarding the slats, a binding-wire needle, and mechanism for reciprocating the needle vertically to pass the binding-wire above and below the slats and for giving the needle a lateral movement at the end of its downward throw to pass the binding-Wire on opposite sides of the stay-wire.

7. In a slat-Weaving machine, the combination of a table onto which the slats are fed, a presser-foot for holding the slats down on the a table, a binding-wire needle, mechanism for reciprocating the needle vertically to pass the wire above and below the plane of the slats, mechanism for forwarding the slats while the needle is at the limit of its upward throw, and mechanism for giving the needle a lateral movement to pass the binding-wire on opposite sides of the stay-wire when the needle is at the limit of its downward throw.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

v JOSEPH BRANSON. Witnesses:

PHILIP DEAN, W. J. VAUGHN. 

